The Darkness Rises
by selindley
Summary: The Life & Times of Danitra - WIP


She was born to a High Priestess of Dibella. It wasn't uncommon, and almost expected considering some of the rituals they performed. Those born of the Priestess were considered blessed by the Goddess and held a special place with the Pantheon of Daedric Lords. The female children were customarily sent to an Assemblage in Markarth, where they were raised by the Women of the Lotus and – frequently – they would join their ranks upon reaching adulthood. The male children were taken in by their respective families as the Sons of the Flower, and though they weren't given inheritance status in their parental home, they were still considered respected members of the community and guaranteed a life of leisure.

Now while many of the female children would eventually return to the Temple from where they came, there were still those who chose not to follow their religious upbringing into adulthood. They would move on from the Assemblage when they reached maturity (16-18 by most races) and pursue a life beyond the glided walls. Some found their way into similar branches of belief, while others chose instead to take paths much less traveled by Daedric dictates. And then … then there were those few and far between who strayed beyond the light of Dibella's lamp; searching out the secrets that dwelled hidden within the shadows. Danitra was one of these.

Her transition into darkness had not been an intentional one, to start. It was a misfortune that set her upon the path she would eventually travel. Just like the many young ones before her, she had begun her training as an acolyte when she was sixteen summers. Danitra had been the youngest daughter born of Dibella and was the only remaining girl-child at the Assemblage by that time (the others all having grown and moved on). It was common for the daughters of the assemblage to run the day to day tasks of the Temple, doing any number of the many miscellaneous duties that were required. Cooking, cleaning, sorting … deliveries, correspondence, and bill paying. And it was Danitra's duty to oblige.

It began early in the dawn, with the sun just spilling over the metal and stone. Most of Markarth still slept, though the market had begun to stir in the wee morning hours while guards were busily changing out their posts. Danitra stoked the fire pits, mixing up the coals and rekindling the flames, before setting pots of water to boil and placing stacks of soft cotton cloths for the morning constitutional. She then retired to the communal hall and began setting the table for breaking the fast, with coffee beans steeping in a ceramic pot and a plate of cheeses and meats bought from the open-air market. As she turned to clear away any remaining refuse, the supreme Mother – the High Priestess of Dibella – appeared; her regal figure framed beneath the brick entry in a radiant halo of dimming gold candlelight.

"Danitra … do you have a moment?" Hamal asked.

"Yes, Mother …" Danitra's voice echoed softly in the empty hall, "how can I serve you?" She folded her hands demurely, her head lowered in deference to the high Mother's station.

Hamal was a tall, slender, blonde who hailed – originally – from the Nord capital of Solitude, reaching somewhere near her 40th summer. She'd been born to this life, much as Danitra had herself, and had quickly risen through the ranks to hold the position she now entertained. Unlike the other Dibella-born girls who preceded her, Danitra and Hamal had never really bonded to on another. There was a tolerable respect between them, but something about Danitra bothered Miriam greatly. Perhaps it was the Imperial blood that coursed through her veins, a gift from her biological father. Or it was the strange pale green eyes that seemed almost translucent, like broken bits of sea glass.

"There is a service we require of you, and it is of the upmost importance. We have been given the vision we've long prayed for … we finally have the name and location of our Sybil. And we need you to go and get her and bring her home."


End file.
